Brian Lee - Have you given up on him?

Brian Lee, a first round pick and D prospect of the Muckler era came in late last season and didn't look out of place. This season he was handed the job on D and played himself off the big club. When he went down to Bingo he continued his struggles opening the door for Brendan Bell to come up and snag a fulltime job on D. Here are some questions to ponder - Do you think Lee is a lost cause and wasted first round pick? Do you think he was ever a legitimate prospect with top 2 or even top 4 potential? Do you think the Sens should keep him and wait him out in terms of developing or do you think they should act now and get as much as they can for him in a trade?

Hmmmm...interesting...I really don't think he's a lost cause, I say to wait it out a little bit. but of course if the right offer comes along...

SensGirl11 wrote:Hmmmm...interesting...I really don't think he's a lost cause, I say to wait it out a little bit. but of course if the right offer comes along...

Way to sit firmly on that fence Stargate

Lost cause, no. Wasted top 10 pick, no doubt in my mind. The Sens could probably move him in a deal to improve in other area's perhaps. Honestly, I dont know what they should do with him, but IMO he will never be a top 4 D man in Ottawa.

On the bright side, he could be our next Redden.

On the ugly side, he could be our next Redden.

I would certainly consider moving him, for the right price.

Neely4Life wrote:Lost cause, no. Wasted top 10 pick, no doubt in my mind. The Sens could probably move him in a deal to improve in other area's perhaps. Honestly, I dont know what they should do with him, but IMO he will never be a top 4 D man in Ottawa.

I don't know how you can say that with such confidence. The guy has only been in the Sens' system for 1 1/2 years. Of course he will need time to develop, but to label him as a lost cause or say he will never play top 4 for Ottawa seems hasty. Everyone thought he would be this year, but he didn't. There is still a good chance that he could be next year. Truth is, we won't know until he gets there, but I would not want to give up on him now.

mojo1016 wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Lost cause, no. Wasted top 10 pick, no doubt in my mind. The Sens could probably move him in a deal to improve in other area's perhaps. Honestly, I dont know what they should do with him, but IMO he will never be a top 4 D man in Ottawa.

I don't know how you can say that with such confidence. The guy has only been in the Sens' system for 1 1/2 years. Of course he will need time to develop, but to label him as a lost cause or say he will never play top 4 for Ottawa seems hasty. Everyone thought he would be this year, but he didn't. There is still a good chance that he could be next year. Truth is, we won't know until he gets there, but I would not want to give up on him now.

Good point!

They say that defense is the second hardest position to excel at the NHL level.

The truth is, only time will tell but it is too early to give up on him.

I think he'll turn into the D-man we saw at the end of last year. He's in a critical phase right now though, either work through the issues your having, or you'll be set back 3 years.

mojo1016 wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Lost cause, no. Wasted top 10 pick, no doubt in my mind. The Sens could probably move him in a deal to improve in other area's perhaps. Honestly, I dont know what they should do with him, but IMO he will never be a top 4 D man in Ottawa.

I don't know how you can say that with such confidence. The guy has only been in the Sens' system for 1 1/2 years. Of course he will need time to develop, but to label him as a lost cause or say he will never play top 4 for Ottawa seems hasty. Everyone thought he would be this year, but he didn't. There is still a good chance that he could be next year. Truth is, we won't know until he gets there, but I would not want to give up on him now.

Lee wont be a top 4 guy next year, Phillips is still here, A Train, Picard, and there will be help coming in one form or another be it resigning Kuba or going out and getting someone else. Bell is also ahead of him at this point for 1/2 the price.

The you take into account that Karlsson and Wierchoch are developing fast and furious, and Matias Kalrsson also developing quickly, it is going to be tough for Lee to ever be a top guy here. Thats why I say it with confidence. Lee has regressed this year and has at least another year or two before he is a legit NHLer, by then, the prospects in this organization may, and my guess is, will have passed him in terms of the depth chart.

I believe he may be our 3rd worst first round pick behind only Mathiue Chouinard and number 91. And yes I do remember Radek Bonk. My opinion is that the best we can hope for is a borderline Top 4 Dman, so I would move him in a heartbeat if it meant closing a deal.

OK so this is the history... The guy was an off the board pick that was greated a bit like a fart in an elevator (most people pinched their noses). He came up at the end of last year and was certainly one of our better defenceman (better out of a bad lot). He showed a lot of poise especially given his youth and the situation he was cast into. This year he is given a roster spot and was perhaps a bit complacent in terms of actually competing for it. He has obviously got into a bad spell but he will come out of it. I think he has realized that it is not going to be as easy as it seemed when he joined the club last year and now he just needs to adjust...

Again, with the depth is D that Murray has seemed to aquire and Lee's struggles, it spells the end of most hope for Lee being a top D man in Ottawa. We dont even know if we are going to get another top D man in this up coming draft.

Lee was a Muckler pick, out of high school, and is extremely soft. He is not a Murray guy, doesnt play a Murray type game. I dont see anyway he ever becomes a top 4 D man on this team, and IMO will struggle to become that anywhere else.

RobbyJ wrote:I believe he may be our 3rd worst first round pick behind only Mathiue Chouinard and number 91. And yes I do remember Radek Bonk. My opinion is that the best we can hope for is a borderline Top 4 Dman, so I would move him in a heartbeat if it meant closing a deal.

It's an easy trade to make for any GM, since t was Muckler who drafted him. If it had been one of Murray's picks I could see it being difficult to give up so quickly.

Butit's still way to early to say he was our third worst first round pick. He's 21 with a handful games at the NHL level, most of them pretty good ones (just not lately).

wprager wrote:

RobbyJ wrote:I believe he may be our 3rd worst first round pick behind only Mathiue Chouinard and number 91. And yes I do remember Radek Bonk. My opinion is that the best we can hope for is a borderline Top 4 Dman, so I would move him in a heartbeat if it meant closing a deal.

It's an easy trade to make for any GM, since t was Muckler who drafted him. If it had been one of Murray's picks I could see it being difficult to give up so quickly.

Butit's still way to early to say he was our third worst first round pick. He's 21 with a handful games at the NHL level, most of them pretty good ones (just not lately).

It'll be hard to say "I told you so" if I don't share my opinion.

Bell may be ahead of him now, but wouldn't you say Lee was ahead of Bell at the end of last season? Things can change. All those D-men you mentioned could be gone in 2-3 years, or their development could have taken a nosedive.